Pleasure-waterway.



PATBNTBD MAB.. 31 1.903.v

A. PUSTERLA. PLEASURE WATBRWAY.

APPLIOATIQN FILED AUG. 12, 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

l Il uannnznann mi Nonms qms co. PnoTauTHo.. wAsHmaToN. o. c.

No. 724,040. PA'TBNTED MAR'. 31, 1900;

A. PUSTBRLA. k

PLEASURE WATERWAY.

y APPLIoATIox rILnD AUG. 12, 1902. so xonnL.

y 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

TH: Nonms Pnzns co, Mofo-uma, WASHINGTON. uA c.

` PATENTBD MAR. 31,1903 A. PUSTERLA. f

PLEASURE WATERWAY. APPLIOATIQN FILED AUG. 12. 1902.

No MODEL.

3 SHEETS-.SHEET 3' y [num-wml boats.

Prion. y

ATTILIO PUsTERLA on PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PLEASURE-WATERWAY.

SPECJEFICATIO forming part of Letters Patent No. 724,040, dated March- 31, 1903. Applicationii'led August 1902. Serial No. 119,440.` (No model.)

To aZ whom t may concern: j

Be it known that I, ArrfLIofPUstrERLA, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at 2132 North Eighth street,in the city of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and Stat-e of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Pleasure-Waterways; and I do hereby decla-re the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such 'as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to figures of refi ,propelling mechanism and the transfer de-` vices for the boats. Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the water propeller or agitator. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the transfer devices for the Fig. 5 is a section, and Fig. 6 a pian view, of one of the boats, showing its relative position to the guide-rail. Fig. 7 is a modification wherein centripetal action of water is shown, and Fig.'8 shows diagram"- matically one of many forms of spiral guides whereby a variable is obtained.

The invention has for itsobject to produce a movement of the water suclitha't, in'con nection with means to guide the boats, they will be translated or progressed on their trip and simultaneously rotated, and, further, to provide such a Waterway that in appearance will be an artificial lake, preferably, though not necessarily, surrounded by scenic effects, and which may to all intents and purposes be converted into a pleasure-canal by placing along the path of the boats such scenic display as may be desired.

progression of the boats` The invention also has for its object details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the following description and in the drawings I have shown the preferred form oflbasin as substantially circular, with a substantially spirally-arranged bo'atguide therein, but desire it to be distinctly understood lthat I do not limit myself to any particular formof basin or to any particular disposition of the boat guide-rails, therein, the main object being to produce motion throughout the body of water and so dispose the guide-rails therein as to produce a progressionand rotation of the boats, either continually or periodically.

I provide a basin 10 of any suitableshape and 'size that may be more or less permap nently'constructed, as ofconcrete, for apermanent pleasure resort, or a basin built of woodv and madewater-tight by suitable means. rlfhe basin is of the usual depth of such waterways, of from eighteen to twenty-four inches. Preferably, though not necessarily, in the center is an imitation lighthouse or other decorative housing 11 for the actuating machinery. In the basin and sufficiently below the surface of the water are placed guiderails 12, supported on posts 13, preferably, though not necessarily,'beveled on that edge presented tothe water moving against it, so

that there will be as little obstruction to the free circulation of the water as possible. Said rails form a continuous guide for the boats from a passenger landing or platform 14 to a point where the boats are taken from the water. This point is here shown near thecenterof the spiral guides 12 and near the housing 11; but, if desired,`tl1e passengers may enter the boats near the'housing 11 and leave them at the platform. The guide-rails in order to produce the effect desired will be at an angle to the general direction of motion of the water. y

Within the housing is a platform l5, below which is a mechanical stirrer 16, that is or is not submerged, depending uponA the action of the water to be produced on the boatsthat is, whether their progressive movement will be due to centrifugal or centripet'al motion. 17, stepped at its lower end in a suitable Ion This stirrer comprises a central post f base-bearing 18 and the upper end securedto a vertical driving-shaft 19, that carries a main gear 20, driven by a pinion 2l on a stepdown gear 22, that is directly driven by a pinion 23 on a suitable electric motor 24 or, if desired, by a steam-engine. Driven from the same driving mechanism or independently, if so desired, is the means for lifting the boats from the water up an incline over one or more sections or convolutions of guiderails to a down wardly-inclined roller-way 25. These means consist of inclined rails 26, supporting short bearing-rollers 27, arranged in two sets on the upwardly-inclined rails 26, and between the sets of rollers is a carrierchain 28, supported on sprocket-wheels 29, 30, and 3l, one of which, 3l, acts as driver for the chain and is itself driven from a moving element of the stirring mechanism and here shown as driven from a sprocket-wheel 32, chain driven from one 33 in the housing. The sprocket-wheel 33 is driven by a gear 40, driven by a gear 41 on the gear 22.

The carrier-chain, whose lower end is submerged, delivers the boats at the top of the incline, from which they slide by gravity down the roller-way 25'to the landing 14.

The carrier-chain 28 is provided with pins 34, lthat engage the boats as they [ioat toward its lower submerged end. The boats are not supported on the chain, but on the sets of lateral rollers 27.

The boats 35 are circular in shape and usually seat four persons (however, their size is dependent upon the exigencies of each particular waterway) and are provided in their bottoms with a circular recess 36, into which the pins of the carrier-chain enter to drag them np the incline. Thus it will be seen that the waterwaycan be made of substantially a uniform depth and requires no fall for its movement. The water will consequently not have to be lifted, but only stirred, and the Waterway will have the appearance of a lake or single sheet of water.

The whole lake is surrounded, if desired, by a house the sides 38 of which are covered with suitable scenery or provided with scenic effects.

If desired, drop scenic partitions may be secured vertically over the guide-rails and the lake converted into substantially a pleasure-canal.

The operation is as follows: The machinery supposed to be continually moving, the water will be churned by the stirrer 16 and move it substantially as a whole in a circular path around the basin. In Figs. 1 and 2 centrifugal motion will be imparted to the entire body of water by reason of the stirrer 16 not being submerged; but in Fig. 7 the surface of the water will have a centripetal motion, due to submerging the stirrer,and the action of said stirrer will be to churn a hole or depression in the body of water, as shown at 46, Fig. '7, wherebythe boats will have a tendency to be drawn toward the center. In the former case the boats will be rolled against the outer one of the two sections of rail between which they are located, and in the latter case they will be rolled against the inner rail. Passengers will enter a boat 35 at the landing or platform 14. The water moving substantially in a circle as a body will carry the boat with it, the centrifugal force or current will tend to hold the boat against tlie outer rail,and the progressive movement of the water, together with the friction of the boat on the rail, will rotate or roll the boat along this outer rail. This rotates and revolves the boat about the central motor-house, to which it is guided by the spirally-arranged 'guide-rails and where the boat is seized from below by apin 34, entering the circular recess 36 in its bottom, and dragged by the chain 28, while being supported by the lateral sets of rollers 27, to the top of the roller-Way 25, when the boat slides down this way over its rollers 48 to the landing 14. The boat is thus lifted from the water at the end of its journey and carried across one or more portions or convolutions of its path and delivered into the water again at the starting-point. When the stirrer 16 is reversed to reverse the motion of the body of water, passengers may enter the boats either at the landing 14 and be carried to the center by substantially the same transfer mechanism or they may walk to such point by means of a bridge, the general operation and the method of driving the boats being the same.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a pleasure-waterway, a suitable basin, boats, a moving body ot' water in said basin to translate the boats and means cooperating with the boats to rotate them, substantially as described.

2. In a pleasure-waterway, a moving body of water, boats, and stationary guides for the boats inclined to the direction of flow of the water, substantially as described.

3. In a pleasure-waterway, a moving body of water, boats, and submerged guides independent of the boat and inclined to the directionof motion of the water, substantially as described.

4. In apleasure-waterway, a suitable basin, boats, a rotating body of water in said basin to translate the boats, and means coperating with the boats to rotate them, substantially as described.

5. In a pleasure-waterway, a suitable basin, boats, a rotating body of water in said basin to translate the boats, and submerged means cooperating with the boats to rotate them, substantially as described.

6. In a pleasure-Waterway, a suitable basin, boats, a rotatingbody of water in said basin to translate the boats, and stationary submerged means in the basin cooperating with the boats to simultaneously rotate them, substantially as described.

7. In a pleasure-waterway, a suitable basin, boats, a rotating body of water in said basin IIO to translate the boats, and continuous submerged guide-rails cooperating with the boats to simultaneosly rotate them, substantially as described.-

8. In a pleasure-Waterway, a substantially circular basin, circular boats, a rotating body of Water therein, continuous guide-rails supported in the basin intermediate the bottom and t-he surface of the water to permit substantially free movement of the Water as a body, said rails cooperating with the boats to rotate them, substantially as described.

9. In a pleasure-Waterway, a substantially circular basin, a body of water in the basin, boats, means to rotate thewater as a body, a continuous, submerged, spiral guide in said basin, and means to transfer the boats from one point of said spiral across one or more convolutions thereof to another point of the spiral, substantially as described.

l0. In a pleasure-Waterway, a substantially circular basin, a body of Water in the basin,v

boats, a continuous, submerged, spiral guiderail in the basin, a suitably-operated stirrer at the center of the basin and spiral, and means to transfer boats from the center to the end of the spiral, substantially as described. Y

1l. In a pleasure-waterway, a substantially circular basin, a body of Water in the basin, boats, a continuous, submerged, spiral guiderail supported above the bottom of the basin, a mechanically-operated stirrer at the center of said basin and spiral, a roller-Way, and means to lift the boats from the water near the center of the basin and deliver them onto the roller-Way and thereby transfer the boats from the end to the beginning of their journey over one or more convolutions ofthe spiral, substantially as described.

l2. In a pleasure-Waterway, a suitable basin, a body of Water therein, boats, means to move the body of Water, means to guide the boats through the basin and means to lift the boats from the Water at the end of their journey to carry them across their previous path and deliver them at the starting-point, substantially as described.

13. In a pleasure-Waterway, asuitable basin, a'body of Water therein, boats, means to move the body of Water, means to cooperate with the boatsto rotate them and guide them through the basin, and means to lift the boats from the body of Water at the end of their journey and deposit them in the Water again at the starting-point, substantially as described.

14. In a pleasure-Waterway, a suitable basin, a body of Water therein, boats, a stirrer at the centerof the basin to move the body of Water, mechanism to rotate the stirrer, a submerged spiral guide-rail in the basin, an inclined carrier-chain having one end submerged at the end of the journey of said boats, pins on the chain, said chain driven from a moving element of said mechanism,

rollers on opposite sides of the chain to supf port the boats dragged by said chain, an inclined roller-Way having its lower end. submerged at the starting-point of the boats, said carrier-chain to deliver the boats onto the roller-Way, substantially as described.

l5. In a pleasure-Waterway, the combination with a moving body of Water, of circular boats translated by the Water and means cooperating With the boats to rotate them and simultaneously guide them at an angle to the direction of the moving water, substantially as described.

16. The combination with a Waterway and boat-guides, of circular boats rotatable along the guides, substantially as described.

17. The combinaton with a Waterway having boat-guides therein at an angle rto the direction of movement of the Water therein; of circular boats translated by the Water and rotated bythe guides,substantially as described.

18. The combination with a Waterway, of a circular boat having a recess in its bottom and means to engage said recess and carry the boat from one point to another of such waterway out of contact with the Water, substantially as described.

19. In a pleasure-waterway, the combination with a boat having a circular recess in its bottom, of an endless transfer-carrier, and pins thereon adapted to take into said recess in any position of the boat relative to the car rier, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses. Y

ATTILIO PUSTERLA.

Witnesses:

HENRY RoLTAIR, HENRY ORTH, J r.

IOO 

